The Rays have signed 16-year-old Dominican catching prospect Eric Otanez and eight other international free agents.

Baseball America, which first reported the signing, had Otanez ranked 36th on its list of to 40 international prospects. BA describes Otanez, a righthanded hitter out of La Academia, as "one of the top Dominican catching prospects available among this year's July 2-eligible players. He is 6-foot-2, 195 pounds and has a strong arm."

In a more in-depth scouting report for subscribers, BA says "Otanez stands out among Dominican catchers for his tools and aptitude this year, as he's a 16-year-old who's set to graduate from high school. He has shown good tools behind the plate since he started catching a year and a half ago. He has a strong arm and gets rid of the ball quickly on throws to second. His defensive tools are ahead of his bat, but he could be a solid hitter and has shown the ability to leave the yard in batting practice. The Cubs, Blue Jays and Astros have been linked to Otanez.''

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The Tampa Bay Rays will head into the 2015 season with Evan Longoria, Chris Archer, Alex Cobb and plenty of new faces, including manager Kevin Cash. Can they upend the Orioles in the highly competitive AL East? Come here to follow Rays news at Tropicana Field and beyond.